


turning saints into the sea

by ilikemybooksthick



Series: direction to perfection [1]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:00:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25415824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilikemybooksthick/pseuds/ilikemybooksthick
Summary: “I mean…If it was meant to happen, it would have happened already, right? It’s been years.”“No, what the hell? What kind of logic is that? You have to tell him how you feel! How else is he supposed to know?” Dougie sounds a mix of annoyed, surprised, and mad.Sebastian shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s not meant to be? Maybe it’s one of those ‘right person, wrong time’ situations?”Andrei looks at him like he’s crazy, “Maybe Teuvo shouldn’t date you if you’re this dumb.” Dougie nods in agreement.
Relationships: Dougie Hamilton/Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho/Teuvo Teravainen, Teuvo Teravainen/Kimmo Timonen (past)
Series: direction to perfection [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983301
Comments: 4
Kudos: 67





	turning saints into the sea

**Author's Note:**

> [moodboard](https://ilikemyficthicc.tumblr.com/post/639694698917855232/turning-saints-into-the-sea-i-meanif-it-was)

Sebastian lets himself in Teuvo’s apartment and immediately freezes. In shock, he couldn’t help but stare at the sight in front of him, unsure if it was real.

Teuvo was frantically _cleaning_ ; completely unaware that Sebastian was even in his apartment as he vacuumed his living room. _Teuvo_ , voted the messiest by the whole team. (Granted, Sebastian was voted second messiest, but still.) Teuvo was also wearing nicer clothes than usual.

Sebastian looked around more, moving closer to the living room, and saw there was no dirty dishes in the sink, the counters had been wiped down, and no takeout boxes on the table. _Was his mom coming to visit and he didn’t tell me?_ Sebastian crossed that thought out of his mind. There’s no way Teuvo would have his family visit and not tell him. Then he thinks about the last weeks, was there anyone Teuvo had shown special interest in? Technically, enough time has passed since Teuvo’s last break-up for him to start moving on. As he was going through past interactions at games and bars, the sound of the vacuum turning off brought him out his thoughts.

“What is all this?”, Sebastian finally asked.

Teuvo jumped, cursing, now noticing Sebastian was there.

“Who is coming to see you?” Sebastian’s tone was slightly accusatory, but he didn’t care, Teuvo should have told him earlier someone important was coming over.

Teuvo pretended to look offended, “Can’t I just clean my apartment?”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, “No.”

Sighing, Teuvo checked his watch, and answered, “Kimmo. He’ll be here soon.”

Sebastian was sure he looked stupid, but he really couldn’t help but be surprised. He then looked down at his casual t-shirt and shorts and felt like an idiot. This is why Teuvo should tell him this stuff. He doesn’t want to look like a kid in front of _Kimmo fucking Timonen_. He’s wearing socks with sandals for god’s sake. He would’ve worn real shoes for Kimmo. _Should he change?_ He snaps his head back up, as he realizes that Kimmo Timonen probably doesn’t care about seeing him and is here only to see Teuvo. _Should he leave?_

Teuvo is busy putting the vacuum away and double checking his work, not noticing Sebastian’s dilemma.

“Okay”, Sebastian says, slowly backing up towards the door, “I guess I’ll go so you two can catch up.”

Now, Teuvo looks torn. To anyone else, his face would appear neutral, but there’s a bit of hesitation in his eyes and Teuvo’s mouth is slightly more clenched; small signs only a best friend would notice.

“Really, it’s okay. He doesn’t know me, and I let myself in without telling you.” Sebastian was halfway back to the door now.

Teuvo sighs. “No Sepe, I want you two to meet. It’s been so long. I can’t believe I didn’t introduce you sooner.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes, now at the door. “Obviously, it’s difficult to meet up when we’re always playing, and he’s retired.” They both know they have time in Finland over the summers but that goes unsaid. “I’m serious, don’t worry about me. This is not about me but you. Have fun tonight.”

Teuvo starts to protest again but Sebastian is already opening the door to leave when he’s blocked by who other than Kimmo Timonen himself. They stare at each for a beat, Kimmo giving him a once over, and then Kimmo says, completely straight-faced, “Nice shoes.” Sebastian doesn’t know whether to be angry, embarrassed, or shy. Teuvo comes up from behind Sebastian and laughs, clapping Sebastian’s shoulder, “He was just about to go and change so he can come to dinner with us.”

Kimmo raises his eyebrows in response.

Teuvo continues, “I’ve been wanting you to meet for years now. I’m glad we can finally do this.”

Kimmo again, says nothing, simply nodding.

Teuvo pushes Sebastian out the door, telling him to hurry.

(Sebastian gets dressed in record time.)

They don’t go far but the restaurant is really, really nice, not somewhere they would usually go. On the way there, Teuvo tells Sebastian the story about the time the Blackhawks gave him grape juice instead of real champagne after they won the Cup. He’s heard it before, but he’ll never get tired of Teuvo telling it. Kimmo interrupts to tell his side of the story as well, saying that he lied to the press about not wanting Teuvo to drink with them and how he had let Teuvo drink underage all the time, finding the American age requirement too high. Sebastian’s not sure if they’ll be telling Chicago stories all night but he’s okay if they do, he’s the one intruding after all.

After they’re seated, Kimmo orders a bottle of ridiculously expensive wine, giving Teuvo a small smile. (The first time he’s smiled all night, Sebastian notes.) He sees Teuvo blush, as if there’s something special about the wine he doesn’t know about. He gives a questioning look to Teuvo but it’s Kimmo who explains to Sebastian that the type of wine he ordered is the same one he got when he first took Teuvo out in Chicago after his first goal, “Every Finn must help other Finns.”

Yeah, Sebastian’s not touching that; he definitely does not want to know what happened about that night as Teuvo somehow blushes harder at the explanation.

The more wine Kimmo drinks the more comfortable he gets. He starts telling stories about being captain in Nashville and being the highest paid Finn in the league when he switched to Philly. Teuvo makes him tell the story about how Obama gave him a special shout-out at the Blackhawks Cup ceremony at the White House. Kimmo says it was equal to getting into the IIHF Hall of Fame this year. Which leads to stories about several World Championships and Olympic Games, Kimmo’s eyes never fully leaving Teuvo’s for too long.

And Sebastian? He has not had enough of the wine for this.

Usually, when your legendary countryman is recalling stories about winning Olympic medals, you give a hundred percent of your attention, but Sebastian can’t help but steal looks at Teuvo. Who, this whole time, has had a dopey, almost loving look on his face at everything Kimmo has been saying. Sebastian should be grateful to be here, to be hearing these stories, but how can he when the price is Teuvo looking at someone else like they’re the whole world, when it should be him?

It’s so selfish. It’s so stupid. But Sebastian can’t help himself. He can’t help feeling this jealousy rise up from his gut to his heart to his head. Teuvo and him have been teetering at the edge of something for years now, but neither of them have made the jump yet.

Then, Teuvo excuses himself to go to the bathroom and Sebastian realizes that this might be worse, being alone with Kimmo. (Finns don’t make useless small talk.)

For the first time, Kimmo’s full attention is on Sebastian and he tries his best to appear calm and unafraid.

Kimmo empties the last bit of the wine into his cup, and bluntly asks, “How is he treating you?”

Sebastian doesn’t know what to say. Pretending to not understand the possible innuendo, he tries to avoid the question with an, “I’m sorry?”

Kimmo keeps his steady gaze, “I hope he treats you well. From what I can tell, you might be worth it.”

_Might be?_ Before Sebastian can properly react, Kimmo stream rolls on.

“I liked the article he gave a while ago, about you being his housewife.”

Sebastian blushes, like he always does when that article is brought up. _Damn it, Teukka._

“All everyone talks about is your connection, your chemistry. It’s annoying. Sometimes I want to mute the television.” Kimmo signals for another bottle.

Sebastian realizes Kimmo is drunker than he thought.

“The Finnish connection.” Kimmo scoffs. “All Finns have a connection.”

Sebastian watches as Kimmo frowns, pouring another glass, losing count on which number it is.

_Holy shit._ Holy fucking shit, is Kimmo jealous of _him_? Is that why he’s been ignoring him this whole time?

“We’re not together”, Sebastian admits.

Kimmo freezes. “What?”

Sebastian shrugs. “It just hasn’t happened.”

It’s surprisingly true. His first year in the NHL he was too nervous to start anything, and he didn’t want to damage such an important friendship so early on. He’d pushed down his feelings that first year and tried dating other people, hoping it would go away.

(It didn’t.)

Then, they were rarely single at the same time and the very few short times they were, nothing happened, either too busy with the season or too far apart in the summer, at least that’s what he tells himself. 

Kimmo narrows his eyes in disbelief. “You’re stupid if that’s true.”

Before he could respond, Teuvo was back, asking them what they were talking about.

Kimmo smiles again, simply stating, “Hockey”, and then launches into how great Teuvo has been doing.

Sebastian resists the urge to roll his eyes. Obviously, Teuvo deserves all the praise in the world. He’s underappreciated in the League, not being nominated for the awards he deserves but Sebastian hates hearing the compliments come from Kimmo instead of him. (Call him a hypocrite, whatever.)

As Kimmo talks about some of Teuvo’s best goals, Teuvo keeps bringing up how well Sebastian is doing and the best goals and assists they’ve done together. Kimmo looking slightly more and more annoyed at every mention of Sebastian. Finally, Kimmo decides he’s had enough and says he’ll ask the waiter for the check. It’s apparently “gotten late”. But, before he can look for the waiter, Teuvo flashes one of his bright, genuine smiles and says he already took care of it, in honor of Kimmo now being a international Hall of Famer, that’s why he “went to the bathroom”. Kimmo melts, pretending to scold Teuvo for being “too kind and generous” and how “he shouldn’t have” while smiling bigger than he has all night. 

_God_ , Sebastian thinks, _no one deserves Teuvo_.

They head back to the apartment complex and Teuvo insists on another round of drinks but both Kimmo and Sebastian refuse. Kimmo says he’s already too far gone, and Sebastian doesn’t want to see Kimmo gush over his best friend anymore, so he lies and says he’s too tired. Teuvo gives him a look, knowing he’s lying, but Kimmo is busy putting his arm around Teuvo, asking if he has any water or Gatorade for him. Sebastian does roll his eyes this time and quickly separates from them to go to his apartment while Teuvo is still distracted.

It was really rude of him to have left without properly saying goodbye, but in the moment he just doesn’t care, he had to get out of there before seeing Kimmo inside Teuvo’s home, even if just for “water”. He specifically puts in ear plugs before going to bed just in case. He doesn’t want to hear anything. He still doesn’t get much sleep though, unsure of what’s worse: knowing or not knowing if they did anything.

.

The next morning they had an optional skate but Sebastian went anyway, he wanted to get rid of all his bottled up energy, hoping that getting on the ice would clear all the ideas of what Kimmo and Teuvo may or may not have done last night out of his mind. But, to his surprise, there was Teuvo, already talking to Andrei and Dougie about possible plays.

_Shit_. Now Sebastian had to think of an excuse for bailing like an asshole last night. He’s was hoping Teuvo would be hungover or something and that he would have more time. Andrei waved him over. Sebastian attempted to smile but wasn’t sure if he succeeded. As he made his way over, Teuvo turned and made a face, and Sebastian’s face fell in response.

Of course, this did not go unnoticed, and Dougie tentatively asked if everything was okay. Before Sebastian could answer, Teuvo quickly said no. Again, before he could even defend himself, Teuvo speaks directly to Andrei and Dougie and tells them how he disappeared after dinner with a good friend without a good reason, after repeatedly stating how much Teuvo wanted Sebastian and his friend to spend time together. Both Andrei and Dougie raised their eyebrows and turn to stare at him with wide eyes.

Sebastian was annoyed (and hurt) that Teuvo would spill their business to their friends before talking to him privately, so maybe that’s why instead of saying something smart like, “It was a misunderstanding, let’s talk about this later”, he let his emotions get the better of him and what he actually said was, “Well, maybe don’t drool all over them and let them ignore me and maybe I wouldn’t have left.” Teuvo looks shocked while Dougie and Andrei both look awkward as they were caught in the middle of their fight. Sebastian was officially pissed now so he snaps, “I’m going to practice drills”, the _without you_ implied.

As Sebastian skated away, he let his anger out on the puck, hitting it so hard, he drew attention from some of the other players who quickly realized to avoid him. He’s honestly surprised his stick didn’t break during the session. He avoided Teuvo best he could, leaving late as Teuvo left early, showering last with Dougie and Andrei, who he guessed probably wanted to help and talk to him about the situation. 

Andrei sat down next to him as they got dressed, despite the don’t-fuck-with-me vibes he was giving off. Usually, he would love his friends checking in on him but right now he did not want to talk about his feelings, so that’s what he told them. Dougie huffed, “That’s too bad, bud. Turbo wouldn’t give us too many details, but he seemed genuinely upset that he upset you.”

_Good_. 

He must have done a bad job masking that reaction because Dougie sighed and pursed his lips. “Come on, you’re better than this. Don’t be childish. You have to talk to him.”

“No, I don’t.”

Now, Andrei tried to reason with him. “You can’t let one bad night ruin such a strong, good friendship. Come on, you’re both adults and you care about each other. If you didn’t, then it wouldn’t hurt as much.”

_What the fuck? When did Andrei get so good at feelings? Was it from spending all his time with Dougie?_

“Andrei’s right. You guys are so great together. You can’t let a little fight get the better of you two.” Dougie smiled, nudging him in the side, “You know you’re his favorite.”

“Well, if I’m his favorite why did he spend all of last night looking in love with Kimmo, hmm?”

Dougie and Andrei both look at each other, open-mouthed, and then at him. “Kimmo…Timonen? That’s who you guys had dinner with last night?” Andrei looks at Dougie again, “Wasn’t he just inducted in the IIHF Hall of Fame?”

Sebastian answered before Dougie could, “Yes! And you should have seen the way he was flirting with Teuvo. That’s why I left! I couldn’t handle all the obvious foreplay.” 

Now, both of them looked confused. Dougie put a hand on his shoulder, “Teuvo would _never_ cheat on you, Sebastian. How could you think that?”

For the second time in less than 24 hours, Sebastian had to admit, “We’re not together.”

Andrei and Dougie both laugh, as if they don’t believe him, as if the truth was ridiculous. “It’s okay.” Dougie says in a reassuring voice, “You don’t need to pretend with us. We’re your friends. We only want you two to be happy.”

“No, _really_. We’re not.”

Dougie and Andrei stay silent as if waiting for the punchline.

It doesn’t come.

Dougie exclaims, “Holy shit. You’re serious?” at the same time Andrei says, “What the fuck?”

“I mean…If it was meant to happen, it would have happened already, right? It’s been years.”

“No, what the hell? What kind of logic is that? You have to tell him how you feel! How else is he supposed to know?” Dougie sounds a mix of annoyed, surprised, and mad.

Sebastian shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s not meant to be? Maybe it’s one of those ‘right person, wrong time’ situations?”

Andrei looks at him like he’s crazy, “Maybe Teuvo shouldn’t date you if you’re this dumb.” Dougie nods in agreement.

“I’ll get over it. He’s obviously not over Kimmo so whatever, I’ll be fine.”

Dougie looks plain disappointed now. “How can you be so good at reading Teuvo on the ice but not off? I really don’t get it.”

The thing is: Sebastian is that good at reading Teuvo at all times. That’s why he really doesn’t understand why they haven’t gotten together yet. All the signs have pointed to their mutual attraction, so what’s been holding them back?

Andrei jumps in again, “You have to just say it. He can’t read your mind, no matter how obvious it may seem to you”, stealing a look at Dougie, who smiles in return.

_Wait. No way. Except…_ “Hold on, are you saying…you two are…”

“Yes”, they both say at the same time.

“It took us a long time too”, Dougie explains _,_ “In the beginning we didn’t want to ruin anything, and it was too early start anything but over time we couldn’t deny it anymore.”

Andrei nods, “If we can get our shit together, what’s stopping you guys?”

“Well, we’re playing really well right now and-”, Sebastian starts but both Dougie and Andrei groan loudly as if this was a weak excuse, but Sebastian really doesn’t want to mess anything up.

“Anything excuse you can think of: team dynamics, bad timing, etc., we’ve already argued about and trust me when I say, in the end, none of it matters if you love him enough.” Dougie looks straight at Andrei when saying “love him enough” and Sebastian wants to scream or cry or hug them, he doesn’t know or understand anything he’s feeling now. This is a lot to take in.

“Okay. I think that’s enough for today”, Dougie concludes, “We’ve talked about emotions too much for a bunch of hockey players. Let’s get out of here.”

Andrei smiles at Dougie’s joke (like always) and then turns to Sebastian with a peace offering: dinner on them, no more relationship talk. Sebastian gratefully accepts and then forces them to let him choose the restaurant.

.

He gets home later than planned, going back to Andrei’s to play video games, because apparently Andrei was tired of beating Dougie all the time and needed some “real competition”. Of course, Andrei is also a little shit, and spent half the time talking about how finally confessing his feelings was the best thing he ever did and how much he loved Dougie and their relationship. Sebastian pretended to be annoyed by it but he’s genuinely happy for them and Andrei knew it.

As he walks into his apartment, he barely has a foot in the door when Teuvo asks him where he’s been, already sitting at his kitchen table. (Sebastian is super grateful he didn’t jump despite being really scared for a second.) “How long have you been here?”, he asks.

“That doesn’t matter, where were you?” Teuvo has an unreadable expression on his face, immediately making Sebastian mad again.

“Why does it matter to you? You’re not my boyfriend.” It was meant to come out angry, but it doesn’t, he just sounds sad and bitter. _Fuck._

Teuvo looks taken aback for a minute but then bounces back _._ “You never asked me to be.” He sounds just as disappointed.

Sebastian opens his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out, he can’t find the words. He never has. Confident in everything but when it matters most. He looks down, unable to meet Teuvo’s eyes.

“Why haven’t you asked me, Sepe?”

“I don’t know.” His voice is small. _I was scared. I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t ready._

“Do you love me?” He hears the scrap of the chair moving and hears Teuvo walk towards him.

“Do you love me?” Teuvo repeats. Is that desperation creeping into his voice or is Sebastian imagining it?

Teuvo grabs his hands, and asks again, “Do you love me?”

Sebastian takes a deep breath, thinks of the way Dougie and Andrei kept looking at each other today, and breaths out a quiet, “Yes”, and then, “Do you love me?”

Teuvo hits his arm. “Of course, I love you, you idiot. I’ve been in love with you forever. You should know this.”

And yeah, Sebastian had a feeling, the constant whispering in corners and touches, but he’s never let himself fully believe it before. Hearing the words come out of Teuvo’s mouth though? There are no words for that, for the way he feels, the way his heart is thumping in his chest. He feels almost out of breath. There are too many emotions rushing through his body for him to keep track. But, he can’t let Teuvo call him an idiot and get away with it.

“I’m the idiot? I bet I’ve been in love with you longer. Why didn’t _you_ do something, huh?”

“Why do you have to turn everything into a competition? And I did do something, I just confronted you, hmm. That’s more than I can say for you. Took you three tries to confess.”

“Well, you’re older. You’re supposed to be the more emotionally mature one anyway!”

“You’re joking. You’re the more confident one. You’re the brat who always tells everyone what to do and gets whatever you want.”

“Okay, well you’ve won the Cup and I haven’t.”

“Really? You’re one of the main faces of the franchise. You -”, Teuvo cuts himself off, “You know what? This is ridiculous.” He surges forward and kisses Sebastian.

At first, it hurts because of how much force Teuvo put behind it but then Sebastian opens his mouth and oh. _Fuck yeah_. 

It gets messy and aggressive, because yes, Sebastian does turn everything into a competition, including taking Teuvo’s clothes off. (He’s been waiting too long for this.) Teuvo breaks the kiss and stops Sebastian from tugging off his pants, who whines in response. Teuvo laughs and reminds him that they’re currently in the middle of his kitchen and they should move to the bedroom. Sebastian pretends to look put off and says, “I guess.” Teuvo just laughs, hits his arm again, and drags him through his own apartment. (Not that he’s complaining.)

The second they reach his bedroom, he’s all over Teuvo, he can’t his hands everywhere fast enough. Teuvo pushes him closer to the bed and hell yeah, he could get used to this.

It’s over embarrassingly fast, all hands, and Sebastian already wants more, he can’t decide what he wants next, which dream to pick from. Teuvo reads the hungry look in his eye easily and simply states, “Don’t worry, we have time.”

Sebastian doesn’t respond, still trying to believe all his fantasies will become reality soon.

“We have time”, Sebastian echoes.

“Anything and everything you want”, Teuvo promises, “I’ll give it to you.”

Sebastian looks into Teuvo’s eyes and realizes he means it in more ways than one.

He looks into Teuvo’s eyes and he believes him.

. 

The next morning he wakes up to a text from Andrei asking if he’s talked to Teuvo yet. He responds, “Already did” with a picture of a sleeping, shirtless Teuvo in his bed. Andrei sends a string of excited texts in return, something about a double date, but Sebastian will read all of them later. He wakes up Teuvo. He has some promises to keep.

**Author's Note:**

> I love my Finns. They deserve the whole world. 
> 
> Title from Mr. Brightside by the Killers because it's the first song about jealousy I could think of. 
> 
> Truly hope this brings you some joy. Thank you for reading! ❤❤❤
> 
> you can talk to me on [tumblr](https://ilikemyficthicc.tumblr.com/)


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